Roundup Of The SPG/Marriott Lifetime Status Rules; Will You Be Able To Hit Lifetime Status This Year Before The Lifetime Program Is Devalued?

Marriott and SPG both have lifetime elite programs, but they look very different currently.

Grandfathered status:

SPG requires 250 nights plus 5 years of elite status to earn Lifetime Gold status. If you have already hit this level you will remain Lifetime Gold in the merged program.

SPG requires 500 nights plus 10 years of Platinum status to earn Lifetime Platinum status. If you have already hit this level you will remain Lifetime Platinum in the merged program.

Marriott requires 250 nights plus 1.2 million points to earn Lifetime Silver status. If you have already hit this level you will remain Lifetime Silver in the merged program.

Marriott requires 500 nights plus 1.6 million points to earn Lifetime Gold status. If you have already hit this level you will become Lifetime Platinum in the merged program.

Marriott requires 750 nights plus 2 million points to earn Lifetime Platinum status. If you have already hit this level you will become Lifetime Platinum Premier in the merged program.

If you hit these thresholds before August then you will have lifetime elite status from the launch of the new program in August.

In response to feedback, Marriott will also make the following concessions through 12/31/18:

All members who have 5 years of elite status and 250 nights from both programs combined by 12/31/18 will get Lifetime Gold.

All members who have 10 years of Marriott Gold, Marriott Platinum, or SPG Platinum status and 500 nights from both programs combined by 12/31/18 will get Lifetime Platinum.

All members who have 10 years of Marriott Gold, Marriott Platinum, or SPG Platinum status and 750 nights from both programs combined by 12/31/18 will get Lifetime Platinum Premier.

If you earn status via these “concession” methods then you lifetime status will go into effect in January 2019.

If you earned elite status from both Marriott and SPG in the same year it will count as 2 years of status.

Unfortunately the option to qualify with lifetime points will only count points earned on the Marriott side, it won’t count points earned on the SPG side. It’s a shame that the new program won’t allow SPG members to count their points as a path towards lifetime status as they do for Marriott members.

Additionally, while SPG currently allows you to earn elite credit on up to 3 rooms per hotel per night, Marriott and the new program will only allow elite credit for a single room per night.

Effective 2019 the lifetime requirements will be:

All members who have 5 years of elite status and 250 nights from both programs combined will get Lifetime Silver.

All members who have 7 years of Marriott Silver, Marriott Gold, Marriott Platinum, SPG Gold, SPG Platinum, or Gold status or higher in the new program and 600 nights from both programs combined will get Lifetime Gold.

All members who have 10 years of Marriott Gold, Marriott Platinum, SPG Platinum, or Platinum status in the new program and 600 nights from both programs will get Lifetime Platinum.

It will no longer be possible to earn Lifetime Platinum Premier.

Are you near a lifetime threshold? Will you try to attain lifetime status in 2018?

You would have to email Marriott or SPG to find out exactly the breakdown for what years and which level.

Reply

May 11, 2018 3:26 pm

tennisboy

That didn’t tell me much. But I just chatted with SPG and here’s how it went:

Me: i am looking for number of years i was PLATINUM
William: o I see
William: you have 2 years as platinum
Me: including this one?
William: not including this one
Me: thanks. i am asking bc of the new concessions about lifetime status. need 10 years as SPG Plat or Marriott gold/plat. Thanks.
William: Yes sir
William: have a great weekend

Reply

May 11, 2018 3:36 pm

Ejb

You going to mention the Marriott trick to increase lifetime points?

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May 11, 2018 3:26 pm

Mark

I thought we have until 12-31(not August) to qualify for lifetime status under the current milestones you cite above

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May 11, 2018 3:35 pm

Dan

Read the post again.

Reply

May 11, 2018 3:36 pm

Dan

I need to increase my nights 🙂

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May 11, 2018 3:37 pm

tennisboy

My issue is nights, not points. 450 nights and 1.62M with Marriott, and 160 nights with SPG. I don’t think I have enough SPG/Marriott Gold/Plat years for the concessions, so likely I will do 50 stays (or 5 meetings – heh!) in 2018 to get that Lifetime Platinum.

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May 11, 2018 3:29 pm

Quite a bit behind

Should I move into a hotel to accomplish this? 🙂

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May 11, 2018 3:30 pm

israbear89

@Dan
Sorry if this is off topic but it seems like theres an overflow scroll on mobile (to the right) on any inner pages of the site. Just wanted to let you know.

@dan thanks and apologies but I see all the info of your post there, except the “concessions”, specifically:
All members who have 5 years of elite status and 250 nights from both programs combined by 12/31/18 will get Lifetime Gold.
If you could point me to this info, that would be great. Thanks again.

I am confused on the concession method to life time platinum. I have 268 Marriott nights and 234 SPG nights equaling 502 if combined. I also have 9 years platinum with SPG and 2 years with Marriott. Will that then qualify for lifetime platinum under the concession method for this year? I called Marriott to ask this question and they had no idea what I was talking about.

Thank you,

Rick

Reply

May 11, 2018 5:24 pm

Dan

It sure will. You’ll get lifetime Platinum in January 2019.
Congrats!!!

Reply

May 11, 2018 5:28 pm

Jackie

Hello Dan, I’ve been a reader of yours and a follower on Twitter for years, but I don’t think I’ve ever posted a comment. I just wanted to say that I think your summary of the MR grandfathering, concessions, and new qualification criteria going forward is the BEST I’ve seen since the announcements and updates have come out. (And by best I mean the most concise, accurate & understandable). I’ve read other bloggers posts and I’ve been searching Flyertalk threads where everyone is interpreting, speculating, questioning, and getting more confused. I wish you could post your summary on Flyertalk. Or better yet, maybe Marriott could hire you as a spokesperson to explain these changes to us all. LOL! A reader.

Reply

May 11, 2018 7:19 pm

Dan

Awww, thanks. Always appreciate comments like these 🙂

Marriott’s FAQs are horrendously written, so it takes bloggers to try to break down what they are trying to say. I guess that keeps us in business 😀

You can absolutely link to this post on FT or copy the info with a linkback.

Reply

May 11, 2018 7:49 pm

Mike

“All members who have 10 years of Marriott Gold, Marriott Platinum, or SPG Platinum status and 750 nights from both programs combined by 12/31/18 will get Lifetime Platinum Premier”

I have 754 nights at Marriott and have been Gold+ since 2005 but 600k points short on the “traditional” route for lifetime status, so this is great news! Just to confirm, with my above stats, I will have Lifetime Platinum Premier?

Reply

May 11, 2018 7:23 pm

Dan

That’s correct, congrats!!!
#Jealous 😀

Just note that your lifetime PP status will start in January 2019.

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May 11, 2018 7:50 pm

RW

I cannot find the above quote. Trying to confirm Platinum Premier legacy program did not include years, new concession seems to include language “10 years Platinum”, not “any” elite to qualify by 12/31.

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May 20, 2018 3:53 am

JL

I have 1,230 Marriott nights and 9 yrs Marriott platinum, 2 yrs Marriott gold and 1.2M points. Will I quality for lifetime PP status by 12/31?

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May 31, 2018 2:35 pm

theSuperStar

Marriott resorts opting out of free breakfast for Platinum members with zero compensation to me means staying 75 nights annually is worthless program.

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May 11, 2018 9:06 pm

yaako

whats going to happen to out old spy accounts comes august? are they going to deactivate them once all the points transfer to marmot?

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May 13, 2018 12:15 am

Simon

Dan,

What about silver status on United. Will marriot platinum continue to be offered silver status on United?

Reply

May 13, 2018 1:51 am

Robert

Thanks for all your detailed information. Based on what you posted, it appears I will be lifetime gold by using the alternative method.

My question, under the new rules does lifetime gold have any value?

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May 13, 2018 8:47 am

help!

hey dan if i have 350 nights at Marriott and 150 spg with 1.6 mil Marriott points lifetime will i get lifetime platinum in the new program?

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May 14, 2018 2:13 pm

Dan

If you also have 10 years Marriott Gold+ then yes.

Reply

May 14, 2018 2:16 pm

Bill

Dan,
When I call Marriott and Starwood to verify my elite years in each program I also ask them about the concession method you post above about only needing 500 nights plus 10 years elite this year only to qualify. Neither Starwood, Marriott, or Starwood Lurker knows what I am talking about. I get “no you need 600 nights”. How where you able to verify this and where can I find it? I have 8 years SPG platinum. 3 years gold, 1 year platinum Marriott, and will have over 75 nights this year when they count combined nights. For lifetime nights, when they combine I will be around 525.

I am hosed. Only 1.3M Marriott points but 700 nights. Silver in 2009, Gold 2010-2012 and Platinum since. 30 SPG nights and unknown SPG points but not many from 30 nights.

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May 14, 2018 3:53 pm

Bill

Dan,
Now I see what you mean. SPG legacy 10 years plus 500 night as they combine, just this year. Neither hotel brand currently understand this. Thank you for being here to be able to interpret these changes.

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May 14, 2018 4:26 pm

Bill

Dan,
Before I asked you the nights question I sent a email message to the Marriott CEO asking about the 500 or 600 nights and 500 SPG legacy lifetime nights for this year only. Today I just received a phone call from the administrative assistant of the CEO she tells me it will take 600 nights when the program is combined . I reiterated the SPG legacy 500 nights and ten years from point 3 on your post (“3. You can also qualify for Lifetime status via the existing criteria for Rewards and SPG through December 31, 2018.”) she tells me I am incorrect I need 600 nights. The SPG 500 nights qualification seems to mean nothing the the Marriott people. I can do 3-4 meeting this year if I have to, but would rather not if I only need 500.

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May 17, 2018 6:08 pm

MR

As it stands now, i will qualify under the concession method for Lifetime Platinum Premier effective in January. If I get cute with moving some points around, I could qualify as of August – my question is if there is any advantage of trying to qualify in August over waiting until January? (I am also currently “earned” platinum in Marriott for 2018 if that makes a difference)

Reply

May 16, 2018 10:59 am

Terry

Dan I think there is one gap in your post. Don’t we have until 12/31/18 to get to the 750 nights in Marriotts program to get lifetime platinum premiere status regardless of whether you have had status for 10 combined years?

Reply

May 19, 2018 11:49 am

Mendy613

Heres my situation:

SPG:
LIFETIME NIGHTS
72
YEARS ELITE
5

Marriott:
Lifetime Status
Nights 165

Points 454,243

2018 Bonus Nights: Rewards Credit Card:15

To double check, I just called in and was told I don’t need any point requirements, so that’s good. True?

My understanding is that I only need another 13 Nights before the end of the year and I should be Lifetime Gold.
Sounds about right?
I am not sure if the 15 nights from this year posted yet, by phone they said it did, but it’s not in account activity.

Also, do third party stays (chase portal/Expedia) count for lifetime status nights?
Pretty sure my numbers are higher than would be without counting them.

Reply

May 25, 2018 12:01 pm

Tennisboy

ok- so with the announcement today, it appears this post may be wrong (I hope not!).

Dan, for lifetime PP you say that 10 years of Marriott Gold, Plat or SPG Plat (plus 750 nights) by 12/31 will qualify.

However I read on Marriott.com today that you must “ Achieve 750 nights & 10 years
Platinum Elite by 12/31/18“ for this — meaning, Marriott Gold won’t matter. Is this true? You can only use Plat status (in MR and SPG combined) for the 10 years requirement?

Does the old way of qualifiying for Lifetime Platinum (which rolls to Plat Premier in 2018) still work by 12/31/18 — 750 nights by combining Marriott and SPG activity? , I’m assuming yes because “And don’t forget that we’ll combine Lifetime activity across both Rewards and SPG toward qualification when members combine accounts in August.” https://members.marriott.com/benefits/

Help!

Reply

July 25, 2018 10:46 pm

Dan

Marriott has said that their old gold will count as years for Platinum.

Reply

July 25, 2018 11:43 pm

Tennisboy

I know that. Sorry if I wasn’t clear.
2 questions:

1) Will 10 years of elite have to be platinum or can it be MR gold too as you stated in the post? It seems pretty clear from today’s announcement that the 10 years have to be platinum, albeit with SPG and Marriott combined

2) Will SPG and MR Nights be combined to qualify for the OLD way to get LT Marriott Plat? (Which converts to PP in ‘19)?

Reply

July 25, 2018 11:52 pm

Dan

Yes and yes.

Reply

July 26, 2018 12:06 am

MoGreen

One more question on lifetime as we are 1 week away :
109 Lifetime SPG nights , 147 Lifetime Marriott nights and probably hit Marriott 165-170 by 12/31/18
Anything good coming my way for Lifetime?

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